What’s your process for putting together a big presentation? Do you spend weeks making it perfect, or do you just smash it out the night before?
Over the years, I’ve refined my process and I know what works for me—especially how the process differs for in-person vs. online presentations.
I don’t claim to have all the answers—and, of course, everyone has to find what works for them. But one thing I have found to make all the difference is giving myself time to prepare.
I’m not talking about preparing my slides; I’m talking about getting clear on my content:
- What is my key message?
- How will I illustrate that message with stories and data?
- How will I keep my audience engaged throughout?
So many people I work with spend a ton of time on slides without first getting really clear on their content.
They think their slides tell the story. But that’s not true.
Your slides are just a visual aide. You are the star of this show.
So how can you set yourself up for success when preparing to give a presentation? What does that creative process look like? And what changes when you give yourself more space to iterate ideas before you put anything to paper?
THE BIG PRINT: i.e. If you take one thing away from this post it’s that…
Taking time to think through your content before writing gives you a creative edge.
That’s why—before I even get on my computer, I take the time to work through my content in my mind. Here are the questions I answer to help me:
- Who is in my audience?
- What do they understand, believe, know about my topic right now?
- What beliefs do they have about my topic?
- What objections do I perceive they will have to my content?
- Why should they care?
- What do I want my audience to DO after my presentation?
- How do I want my audience to FEEL so that they do what I want them to do?
- What stories will I tell so they feel that way?
By spending time on these questions, you give yourself the gift of being able to reverse-engineer your content to influence, persuade, or inspire your audience.
Linzi Cora, a writer, brand storyteller, and one of my oldest friends, joined my monthly Public Speaking DOJO as a guest speaker recently to talk about her creative process—not only for writing, but for presenting too. We both share the process of “writing in our minds” before putting anything to paper. Here’s a short clip from our conversation.
TAKE IT FROM… Leonardo DaVinci who once said…
“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
DaVinci wasn’t giving presentation advice, but he understood the creative process deeply. He knew that in order for something original and resonant to emerge, we have to be dreamers before we are builders.
What about you? What’s your process? Do you give yourself to “write in your mind” before jumping on the computer?
👉🏻If you’re curious to learn more about my approach to presenting, check out my online course Presentation Mastery here.
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